Friday, June 17, 2011

I like the memory kind of posts, so I thought of my first home that I remember. It was a third floor apartment, but big and spacious. My brother and I shared a room and I remember the window in our room. We used to look out it to see if we could see the cars of expected visitors (our cousins were our favorite visitors). It was a turn of the century mansion turned apartment, so the rooms were very big. The bathroom was especially large and you could have hosted a dance party in it.

Across from the bathroom there was a storage room of sorts and I think my mom sewed in there. I remember her making me a large Annie doll in that space. My memories are cloudy though, just flashes here and there. I was six when we moved from there to our first house. I remember the old woman on the first floor, but just barely. It's interesting how memories work. How it's just a flash and then it goes away - a window, a woman, a bathroom, a doll. I just remembered the telephone. It was at the end of the hall, near the bathroom. It had a dial.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

You woke up at 2:30 this morning (not your norm), and as I sat there and nursed and rocked you, I looked at the big girl on my lap and wondered these things:

When did you get to be so big? You stretch across my lap and over the arms of the rocking chair now.

When did you get so much hair? It's blond and wispy and beautiful and it might be curling over your ears.

When did you get to be so mobile? You crawl around everywhere now (and get your head jammed in the end of the crib because you don't back up).

When did you get to be so beautiful? You've always been adorable, but you are just so beautiful now!

When did you get to be so fun? You love to play with us and laugh and smile. You make me laugh and smile all day long!

When did you get to be so smart? You figure things out and recognize words and songs, wave and clap.

When did you get to be so opinionated? You know what you want, when you want it, and where you want it. There's no distracting you. You will pitch a fit if you don't get your way.

I'm looking forward to you walking so that we can hold hands and talking so that I know what's in that funny head of yours, but right now I want to freeze you as my baby girl forever - in your butterfly feety pajamas, with your chubby hand holding mine, where you always need me.

To enter the contest, here are your options (IMPORTANT: For each option you do, you have to leave a comment - and make sure there's a way for me to contact you!)1. Just leave a comment (Feeling chatty? Tell me what you would do with the stickers)2. Become a follower of this blog or tell me that you already follow.3. Facebook, tweet, or blog about the giveaway and include a link to this blogpost (one entry for each). {Note: You can easily do that using the little icons at the end of this post!}3. Like UPrinting's facebook page or comment that you do already: UPrinting's Facebook Page4. Follow UPrinting on Twitter or comment that you do already: UPrinting on Twitter

The contest will be open until midnight (EST) on Friday, June 17th. I can't wait to see who wins! Note: If you want help designing your stickers, I'd be glad to help. Just let me know!

1 Year ago: I was sadly nearing the end of a wonderful nanny job for a wonderful family, but excitedly looking forward to having my own baby girl soon!

2 Years ago: I had just finished my final year teaching fourth grade and we were deciding whether or not to get a puppy. Oh did we ever!

4 Years ago: The crazy final preparations for our wedding were going on. Our reception site had to be changed a few weeks before the wedding, but that's another post for another day!

5 Years ago: Several friends and I went to a Red Sox game together. For one, it was her birthday (and we are going to celebrate her birthday tomorrow with a baseball game too!), for one it was his first Red Sox game, and another one would be my future husband. :D I also got a sunburn that day because I forgot sunscreen. If you know me, I'm a sunscreen nazi. When it finally turned from burn to tan, you could still see the tan lines for over a year. It's still referred to as the June 11th tan.

10 Years ago: I was reveling in the end of crazy spring semester and getting ready to spend the summer blowing bubbles, drawing with sidewalk chalk, and pouring juice for the children I was babysitting.

20 Years ago: Finishing up sixth grade, graduating from my elementary school and DREADING being sent to Junior High.

I saw a post somewhere about Adele Enerson who decorates around her daughter when she is asleep. I decided to try my hand at some. Except at the point when I was taking these pictures, my child didn't sleep. She's only recently realized that naps are things babies (and tired mommies) should take! Here are some of our "Dream" photos though!

Walking Levi

St. Patrick's Day

Riverdance

Play Ball! (Obviously she's a Red Sox fan!)

All the backgrounds are just scarves, sheets, t-shirts, pieces of knit fabric, burp cloths, etc.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

BFS stands for Blog Friend Sarah, which is what I call her. BFS and I have very very interestingly connected lives. I don't remember who started commenting on whose blog first, but we were mutual blog readers. She's one of the funniest bloggers I know!

Then we discovered we lived very close to each other. We always thought we'd run into each other at the local Joanns or Michaels. Despite our intertwined lives, we never did have a Joanns meetup.

Well, several months ago Miss Sarah announced that she was engaged. (He proposed using buttons!!) I was determined to somehow sneak into the wedding to see a blog friend I had never met get married. I didn't have to though, because she asked me to photograph the wedding! Woo hoo! I was invited!

So then we had to meet of course! Here's Blog Friend Sarah holding Amelia.

Amelia was very good at that Panera meeting. I'm pretty sure that that was the last time Amelia was good at Panera. (We met again at Panera and we had to run out of Panera before everyone else started running out of Panera because of the wailing coming from my child). The *very* weird thing is that we found out that we are related! She's not my long lost sister or anything, but her family is related to my husband's stepmother. The family tree would have to have many branches to explain how we are related, but it's good enough for me!

So, I was able to be part of BFS's *very* fun and lovely wedding day. :D

THEN, (BFS doesn't know this part!) I was meeting with my cousin and aunt because I'm photographing my cousin's wedding and I was describing BFS's beautiful reception venue. My cousin said, "The bride's name wasn't Sarah, was it?" Oh dear! It turns out BFS volunteered at the preschool where my cousin works. God definitely wanted BFS and me to meet! ;)

Unfortunately, BFS had to go get married and move away, so she doesn't live near me anymore. Too bad, because she was going to be Amelia's favorite babysitter. But we hope Sarah has a wonderful, blessed, God-centered marriage! Check out BFS's blog, Dandelions and Daffodils. Congratulate her. Ask her how she met her husband. :D

Monday, June 6, 2011

I'm into repurposing - making things out of other things . Now that I have a baby girl, I see my cast off clothing in a totally different way. Where I might have weeded through my clothing and thrown away or donated the castoffs, now I see everything as a potential baby item. :D It definitely takes more imagination! THIS particular starting garment was never mine though. It was a vintage woman's shirt I got for a dollar or so at the Brimfield Fair last year. I <3 The Brimfield Fair. Now it's a baby dress.

This tutorial uses the Leila and Ben Sweet Little Dress pattern - one I've used over and over and over again. I'm giving away a copy of the pattern to go along with this tutorial, so scroll to the end for instructions!

This shirt works for this pattern because it was wide to begin with, so if you are looking for a shirt to repurpose at a thrift store, look for a wide one!

Start by washing and drying the shirt. Then cut the shirt apart at the seams so that you have two big sleeve pieces and a big front piece and big back piece. If you are like me and are using a vintage piece, then feel guilty cutting it for a moment, then continue.

Center the dress piece on the buttons and pin. You want to let the pattern hang off the bottom of the shirt a bit. Since you don't need to hem it, you don't need as much length. I was making the 12 month size and I used the 9 month dress length.

Cut along the side, sleeve, and top of the pattern. Don't cut down the middle though! :D
Flip the pattern piece over and center again on the buttons. Make sure the same amount of pattern is hanging off at the bottom. Finish cutting out the dress.

Cut out the back as well, but this time you can cut it on the fold.

Lay out the existing sleeves and cut them open. If you can use the hem of the existing sleeve, do so. If you can't just cut the sleeve like you would normally do.

Notice that I'm once again extending the sleeve pattern past the fabric. I'm using the hem of the sleeve, so I needed to take off some length. If you aren't using the hem of the sleeve, then cut it like you would normally.

Next, I would baste the top of the dress so that all layers stay together during the construction of the dress.

Proceed according to the directions on the pattern. The only other change is that if you used the shirt's sleeve hem, you won't need to fold the bottom of the sleeve twice. Just fold it up 1/2 inch, press, and sew!
Here's Amelia in her new (old!) dress! FYI, The headband is from the flower pin tutorial, except I serged the top edge after I cut the long skinny piece of fabric. Then I sewed it on some satiny elastic from The Evil Joanns.

Now: Giveaway!I am giving away one Sweet Little Dress pattern (any size). If you already have a Sweet Dress pattern, but like other Leila and Ben patterns, I will substitute another of equal value. Just leave a comment on this post. Want something to talk about? Just tell me something you have that you'd like to repurpose. Otherwise, just leave a comment.

Blog, facebook, or tweet a link to this giveaway and come back and leave another comment for another entry! (Leave up to four comments)Here's a tweet for you to copy and paste:

I entered @quaintandquirky 's pattern giveaway at http://tinyurl.com/6chacf6 I will pick a winner Friday, June 10th at naptime! :D

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Notice I didn't say MY summer cottage! Living in Rhode Island, we get to go visit the summer "cottages" of the rich and richer. The day before Mother's Day, we took Josh's mom to Blithewold, the summer home of the Van Winkles, a coal mining family.

You can't take pictures inside, but I was able to get some of the grounds, the green house, and the lovely flowers. Imagine playing croquet on that lawn in the warm summer breeze?

Or sipping lemonade from this porch?

Or growing fruit and flowers in this greenhouse?

Imagine seeing such loveliness in your personal gardens?

Imagine needing bamboo for plant stakes and just growing your own bamboo garden?

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

This tutorial is meant to accompany my Book Bag tutorial, but the uses for this flower are endless. Headbands, barrettes, belts, necklaces, pillow embellishment, skirt embellishment, etc.!

Enjoy. It's an easy one.

Materials:

Long strip of fabric, 1 inch by approximately 40 inches. Sometimes, to make a larger flower, I sew two together so it's 1 inch by 80 inches. You could make it fatter too... 1.25 inches by ___ inches. Play with it. This flower is 1 inch by 40 inches.

Scissors

Thread

Needle

Pin back (or barrette, headband, whatever you are going to attach it to)

Small piece of wool felt

First, snip off any selvage ends. Run a gathering stitch (either by hand or machine - I prefer machine) down one long side. Gather until the fabric is about half the length that it was straight.

Next, cut a circle out of wool felt that is approximately 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter.

Take one end of the gathered fabric and begin to roll it to make the "bud." After a few rolls, stitch the bottom of the bud a few times to secure it.

Sew the bud to the center of the wool felt.

Now continue to spiral the gathered fabric a few inches at a time and sew it to the wool felt.

(TIP: I spiral the whole thing without sewing first to get a sense of how it will look. Then I unwind it all and start sewing.)

Do this until you get to the end. Before you sew the very end to the wool felt, fold the edge down so that you don't have a raw edge sticking out.

(folded edge)

Sew a pin to the back of the flower and you are finished!!

Use as a brooch, pin it to a bag, skirt, belt, etc. Enjoy looking all fancy!